The Nissan Versa, despite its very reasonable pricing and possession of four wheels and an engine, has never really been a popular choice for modders, perhaps because it’s a pretty soulless transportation appliance. That didn’t stop one Craigslist seller from modding the crap out of a 2012 Nissan Versa S, in a way that includes a bizarre and confusing mod, the likes of which I’m not sure has ever graced a car in the august history of Doing Shit To Cars.
The modified Versa is called the “Yenko Edition,” likely in reference to the very modified Yenko Camaros that make around 1,000 horsepower—just so there’s no confusion, this Versa makes just a little more than 1/10th of that number.
The seller is aware that the look of the car is writing checks the drivetrain can’t cash, and mentions that the car is a “sheep in wolf’s clothing,” as it retains the Versa’s unmodified 1.6-litre four-banger, though there is at least a five-speed manual.
But here’s the real bonkers part:
See that? That’s a fake differential. I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen a car with a fake differential. I have to donate props to the owner of this car for taking that extra step to really sell the idea that this wasn’t just any boring old FWD Versa, but to suggest, via this wild deep cut of a fake thing to stick on a car, that there was a whole different RWD drivetrain crammed in there.
Looking at the Versa rear axle, you can see it’s just a simple beam axle, but it does provide a nice flat surface to weld a little plate on there, and on that plate, you can bolt a nice chrome differential rear cover, which seems to be what this loon did.
I have to admit, it’s the absurd over-the-top yet weirdly subtle qualities about this silly thing that I kind of like. The hood scoop is a ridiculous stuck-on thing, but I like the wheel/tire combination, the stripe is sort of tasteful, and that fake diff just gives it all a really nice WTF quality so often absent from Versas.
It kinda feels like a shrunken Mercury Marauder, sorta. So, if you need a cheap commuter good on gas but can’t bear the idea of anyone realising you drive a FWD car, I think you’re in luck.
(thanks, JK!)